7 healthy meals you can prep in half an hour or less

While healthy eating has become a priority for many in recent years, it can often feel like it's at the expense of your precious time. Because prepping healthy meals in advance can be time-consuming. But it doesn't have to be - as cookery author Roz Purcell has proven in her new cookbook, Half Hour Hero. She's kindly allowed us to pinch eight meals from her half-hour recipe collection for you to try at home.

Enjoy all the extra Netflix-binging time the speedy recipes allow you...

Put the olive oil, oregano, paprika, honey, vinegar and some saltand pepper in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the chicken,peppers, corn, sprouts (if using), chillies and garlic and stir to coatthe chicken and veg in the spicy oil.

Tip everything out onto a large baking tray or roasting tin and cookin the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cookedthrough and the veg are tender.

Pat the cod dry with a piece of kitchen paper. Put the groundalmonds in a medium-sized bowl and add the cod, tossing tolightly coat each piece.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a non-stick frying pan set over a highheat. Add the cod and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, untilgolden, crispy and cooked through. Remove the cod from the panand set aside on a plate.

Put the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan, still set overa high heat, then add the onion, carrot and peppers. Cook for 6minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and chillipowder and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and breakthem down with the back of the spoon. Bring to the boil, then turnthe heat down to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring twoor three times, until the sauce has thickened a little.

Add the tamari, honey and vinegar and stir to combine, thenadd the cod back to the pan and cook for 1 minute more until it’sheated through again.

Divide between four wide, shallow bowls and serve with cookedwild rice. Garnish with a few fresh coriander leaves and pop a limewedge on the side.

Start by steaming the cauli ower for about 10 minutes, until the orets are tender. Pat them dry to remove any excess water, thenplace in a blender with the egg yolks and some salt and pepper.Blitz to a smooth, creamy purée and set aside.

While the cauli ower is steaming, heat the olive oil in a largeovenproof frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the choppedonion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned, thenadd the garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until it’s fragrant. Addthe mince and cook, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes, until completelybrowned. Stir in the carrot, celery, mushrooms and thyme leavesand cook for 2 minutes, then add the frozen peas, stock, tamari,tomato purée and allspice and remove the pan from the heat.Spoon the cauli mash over the mince and spread it out evenly tocover the top, then scatter over the grated cheese (if using).

Place the pan in the preheated oven or under the grill and cookfor 8 minutes, until the mash is starting to turn golden and crispy.Garnish with one or two small thyme sprigs, bring the pan straightto the table (but keep the handle covered with a towel or potholder, as it will still be hot!) and let everyone help themselves.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stickbaking paper.

Put the beans in a food processor and blend until smooth. Addthe cashews, pesto, tamari and spices and blend again untilalmost smooth, with small traces of cashews still visible to addsome crunch. Tip into a large bowl and stir in the oats until wellcombined.

Divide into four portions and roll into balls. Place on the lined trayand press down to form each one into a patty 1.5cm thick.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until the burgers arecrispy around the edges. Remove from the oven, ip each burgerover and return to the oven to bake for 5 minutes more.

Spread the top half of each burger bun with mashed avocado. Puta little shredded lettuce on the bottom half of each bun, then topwith a spoonful of hummus (I like beetroot hummus here) and aburger. Sandwich together with the top half of the bun and skewerwith a cocktail stick to keep the burgers together.

Put the eggs in a saucepan and add enough cold water to coverthem by 2.5cm. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat, coverthe pan and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 12 minutes. Removethe eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and run under coldwater to cool them down. When they’re cool enough to handle,peel the eggs and cut in half.

Meanwhile, put the onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon sticks, clovesand chicken stock in a pot. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil,then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove fromthe heat and scoop out all the solids with a slotted spoon so thatyou’re left with a clear broth.

Melt the coconut oil in a wide-bottomed saucepan set over amedium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes beforeadding the squash. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 5 minutes.

While this is cooking, put the coconut milk and peanut butter ina smoothie maker or small blender and blitz until no lumps arevisible.

Now back to the saucepan. The squash will have softened but stillhave a bit of bite, which is perfect. Add the chickpeas, dried fruit,spices and some salt and pepper. Turn up the heat to high andcook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the water and let itboil for 2 minutes more before removing the pan from the heat.Once the curry stops bubbling, pour in the coconut and peanutmixture and keep stirring until it thickens up slightly.

Ladle into bowls, garnish with the chopped fresh coriander andserve with the rice and a lime wedge on the side.

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